Concert Report Reflection AssignmentBY Frankie Nevin

I saw the East Lansing High School Orchestra Concert. While they performed, the first stand members were really good at queuing in the section. Mr. Rosin, their conductor, was very attentive and kept the orchestra in check. The concert had typical speeches that keep the concert going like, which orchestra was performing, and the seniors gave a little speech about how special Mr. Rosin was and gave him the seniors goodbye gift. The audience was of decent size for such a huge auditorium. The audience was filled with supportive family members and friends, though there was a large number of Okemos kids because people needed to see a concert for this report.The Chamber Orchestra played American Reel by Kirt Mosier and Adagio, K. 622 by Mozart / arr. Turner. The American Reel reminded me of the time we played it in eighth grade. The soloist missed the high note which was kind of depressing because I was so excited to hear another ensemble play such a fun piece. I was kind of excited when I saw that they were playing Adagio but then realized it was written by Mozart instead of Barber. The Encore Strings played Overture to the Wind by Kier Mosier and Lyric Metal by Brian Balmages. The Overture to the Wind was an emotional rollercoaster and by far one of my favorites from the whole concert. The piece went from a very upbeat melody to two very different somber sections and then ended with the very upbeat melody. Lyric Metal was just eh to me. The Symphonic Orchestra played the Symphony in B Minor Unfinished by Franz Shubert. The symphony was quite entertaining to hear and to see. Next, they played two combined orchestra pieces, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1 and 2 by John Williams / arr. Story / Wagner and Finale from Symphony No. 9, New World. This piece was just fun to listen because it was HARRY POTTER!!! The New World was okay compared to the Okemos Philharmonic rendition. Though they did add a really cool pause before the whole ensemble plays the melody which wouldve been cool if they couldve all stopped and came in with enough passion and gusto that a NEW WORLD needs. The tone of the musicians was sub par which put a damper on the whole concert especially during the New World.The concert was on Tuesday night (7:30), May 20, 2014. The time of concert affected the turn out in which people with sports games/practices couldnt attend or people who lived far away and didnt want to drive home in the dark.I liked and disliked how laid back the orchestra was. For example, some dropped something and some members of the ensemble started giggling and the conductor had to wait, put his arms back down and start again. This was somewhat annoying. I didnt like how bad their tone was.If I were to have any opinions, which I usually do, it would be that they need to get a better tone out of their instruments. They also need a better sense of professionalism even though this is the Spring Concert. I feel some people take the fact that it is a Spring Concert as a fun concert but they dont realize that it is referring to the music not the state of mind. If were trying to advertise this ensemble and the concert I would make sure to emphasize the diversity among the students. In Okemos you have mainly Asian kids in the front and white and Indian kids scattered in the back with no female bassists, but ELHS had numerous members from many ethnic backgrounds and female bassists.